Roar come from behind to topple Glory

A Chris Grossman double has seen Queensland Roar further entrench themselves in second spot on the National Youth League ladder with a remarkable come from behind 3-2 win over Perth Glory in a physical fixture at Suncorp Stadium on Saturday night.

A Chris Grossman double has seen Queensland Roar further entrench themselves in second spot on the National Youth League ladder with a remarkable come from behind 3-2 win over Perth Glory in a physical fixture at Suncorp Stadium on Saturday night.

The Roar had the services of veteran Liam Reddy in goal but the experienced Hyundai A-League keeper could do little as the visitors grabbed two skilful goals in the opening 12 minutes of the game.

The stunned hosts were not about to surrender meekly and the momentum quickly shifted as they dominated possession, creating a number of chances in the remainder of the match while the Glory struggled to create meaningful forward surges.

Despite a number of good opportunities, the Roar could not find the back of the net in the first half, first getting on the board through a wonder-strike from Luke Bratten in the 56th minute.

Standing well outside the box, approximately 30 metres from goal, Bratten struck the ball sweetly as he unleashed a searing left-foot strike that curled past Glory custodian Alex Pearson.

The Roar continued to surge and after a pinpoint chip from Robbie Kruse, Grossman tapped in the equaliser in the 77th minute before sealing the points for the home side two minutes later.

Grossman looked a chance to grab a hat-trick as he continued to cause Pearson plenty of headaches, while a desperate Glory defence was beginning to crack, with Joshua Risdon handed his marching orders from referee Alan Milliner after a second yellow card in the 82nd minute.

In the end the Fury-bound Grossman had to be content with regaining the title of top scorer in the Youth League, with his brace boosting his season's tally to 10.

Earlier Reddy, returning from a hamstring strain, had been on the park for less than a minute when he was well beaten by a firmly struck header from Ryan Pearson.

A shocked Reddy made an excellent save to deny Reece Vittiglia soon after, but he could do little as Vittiglia then linked up with Ludovic Boi to make the score 2-0 in the Glory's favour.

After a handy run through the middle, Boi worked the one-two perfectly with Vittiglia before unleashing a searing strike that thudded into the back of the net.

Roar Defender Willie Tumusiime almost had a quick reply in the 15th minute but it was Tim Smits who had the Roar's first genuine opportunity to get on the scoreboard when he failed to make the most of perfect service from Adam Sarota.

After beating two defenders as he pluckily waltzed into the box, Sarota's pass found Smits free and in the ideal position in front of goal with only the keeper to beat, but the youngster sprayed his shot over the crossbar.

Smits continued to loom large up front for the home side and thoroughly tested Pearson in the 33rd minute, with the shot-stopper parrying a shot from the cusp of the box before smothering Smits' second bite at the cherry.

It was largely one-way traffic for the second stanza as the chances flowed thick and fast before Bratten and Grossman saw the Roar move to 29 points for the season, three behind Sydney FC, although the table-topping Sky Blues have two games in hand.